Dayton, OH- The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) recently released Prior Learning Portfolios: A Representative Collection. Sinclair Community College is one of eleven schools featured in the book.

The book is a reference for colleges and universities looking to create or augment a Prior Learning Assessment program. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a process used by colleges and universities to measure learning acquired outside the classroom and assign college credit for that learning. Many adults, seeking to return to or attend college, want credit for their lifelong learning in order to earn a degree or certificate more quickly.

PLA credit is awarded by an academic institution, based on the criteria set by that institution. The new book is a reference for PLA assessors, administrators and PLA instructors, and can also help train both faculty and students to understand portfolio assessment.

The text of the book and accompanying CD-ROM feature thirteen sample portfolios from eleven different institutions, handbooks, guidelines, flow charts, and information about the location of portfolio assessment in the context of a degree.

The text was written for the Council of Adult Experiential Learning (CAEL) by Denise Hart of Fairleigh Dickinson University and Jerry H. Hickerson of Winston-Salem State University. For more information about Prior Learning Portfolios, visit CAEL Online at www.cael.org.